Don't Want to Be in Love
by popstarcat
Summary: Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka has never fallen in love, and doesn't intend to. It means no more Host Club for him. But when he meets the perfect girl, he'll have to make the choice of a lifetime.
1. Chapter 1

"Honey-senpai, how do you do your hair like that?"

"Usa-chan is so adorable, like you!"

"Would you like a cookie?"

Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka glanced at the treat offered to him, and nodded. Delicately brushing the young woman's hand, a flirtatious but subtle move, he whisked the cookie away. The girl blushed, and turned to her friend with a muffled giggle. Honey broke a chunk of cookie off, and held it up to her porcelain face. She opened her mouth and he popped it in. The entire table broke into a simultaneous sigh, followed by shrieks from his eager guests.

"Honey, feed me next!"

"Don't waste your time on them, when you can feed me!"

Honey turned pink and he flopped into one of their laps, tumbling out of his cousin Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka's lap. He looked up at them with his big, chocolate brown eyes and whimpered, "If you keep fighting like this, I'll cry." Instantly, the crowd of fans stopped. They stared at him with fearful looks, and inched away from each other out of their combat positions.

"Everyone will have their turn!" Honey exclaimed, proceeding to purposefully swish a lock of blond hair in his field of vision. And so they did, despite there being girls eager to line up again.

Suddenly, there was a loud screech from Tamaki's table. Everyone's heads turned and they winced at the feedback from what they could now see was a bullhorn. Tamaki Suoh, leader and founder of the Host Club, smiled cheerily. "Thank you everyone for requesting us, and visiting us here at the Host Club today. It means a lot and all of your requests fund our dances and special events. Love you all!"

And that was how it went at the Host Club.

Founded by Tamaki himself, it was a club for boys who attended Ouran Academy, and were interested in entertaining young women. Students could request someone and spend time with them, while enjoying pastries and coffee.

The boys in the club were tailored to suit a wide variety of tastes; they were each attractive in a certain perspective.

The girls attending today's meet-up filed out of the room, saying wistful goodbyes to their favorite host. Tamaki ushered them out, throwing rose petals everywhere. He loved them for decoration, and thought they added that extra appeal.

"Did we do all right today?" Tamaki asked, and looked at each member with a twinkle in his dark blue eyes.

"We did okay." Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, the class clowns, replied. They both looked into each other's amber eyes and their pale red hair jutted out into their jawlines. "The ladies really liked our latest script today." Hikaru snickered. "We told them about this one time at the fair -" Kaoru was interrupted.

"I calculated our sales for today and we did a little below average. But everyone seemed entertained." Kyoya Ootori, Tamaki's best friend and Mr. Cool, replied.

"I fed people cookies." Honey shrugged.

"Everyone's still fooled." Haruhi Fujioka said.

Haruhi was actually a female disguised as a male. She broke a vase worth more than she ever made in her life; it was to be used for an auction, but it was shattered to pieces. So to repay her debt, she decided to pretend to be a male. It wasn't too hard, either. With her floppy brown hair and her swirling brown eyes, she looked like the boy next door.

And that was her role in the production that was the Host Club.

Everyone maintained their roles; it was one of the unspoken rules of the club. Using their personas, they won over the hearts of their requesters. And they couldn't fall in love with anyone.

Constantly flirting would break the relationship immediately, unless the person was extremely patient; and they wouldn't know the real you.

But Honey had never had to worry about that problem. His contribution was fairly easy, considering his childish appearance. All he had to do was fall into arms and easy stuff like that. He'd never let himself fall for one of his guests. It would be a let-down to everyone on the team.

"Today was a success, everyone." Tamaki said, as one by one they drifted from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Honey nibbled on the edge of a chocolate chip cookie, deep in thought at his usual table.

He hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before, so he was deprived of rest and absolutely exhausted.

His chestnut eyes were rimmed with dark circles and his sweet pink mouth was a chapped line. His blazer sat slightly askew on his shoulder, his tie stained with some strawberry jam. His shoes were also scuffed and cookie crumbs were scattered all over his pants.

He was staring into the swirling pool of coffee that in his ceramic mug.

Tamaki had grown quite fond of instant "commoners'" coffee, and he had his father order a crate of it. Everyone took turns making it in the morning, each person adding their own twists to the concoction when it was their turn.

Honey loved to add in a splash of vanilla powder and a pinch (ahem, handful) of sugar, but unfortunately it wasn't his turn and Haruhi had just added some milk.

All the better to make his morning.

Honey rubbed his eyes wearily and cringed when Tamaki clapped his hands excitedly.

"It's a new day for the Host Club, everyone!" He cried, throwing rose petals around everyone's heads. "Time to get into costume!"

Honey trudged away from the table and lined up behind his cousin Mori, waiting to receive his costume from Tamaki.

"What's wrong, Honey?" Mori asked kindly in his deep voice.

"I'm just a little tired." Honey smiled weakly. _I probably look like I'm in pain. _He thought to himself.

"A little tired?!" Tamaki poked his golden blond head in between them, handing them their costumes.

"You look like you just fell off your bed, tumbled down the stairs, and fell asleep in your cereal bowl!" He said dramatically.

"It's not that bad ..." Honey grumbled. Tamaki immediately edged towards the twins, a regretful look on his face. When Honey was tired, he could turn into a karate master - and when someone woke him up, he turned into a monster awoken from its slumber.

"Why don't you take a nap in the changing room?" Mori suggested, motioning towards an open curtain. Plump, soft pillows were set on a bench, just long enough for short Honey.

"Good idea. Thanks, Mori." Honey said gratefully, wrapping his arms around his best friend's waist. He entered the changing room and pulled the cherry red curtains closed. He sighed and unzipped the bag containing his costume, and examined his ensemble.

The theme of today's event was Time, and Honey was assigned to be from Ancient Greece. He wore a chiton and sandals, with a belt and two pins for the shoulders. Slipping on his outfit, he lay down on the fluffy pillows and closed his eyes. He fell into a deep sleep in almost no time, sinking lower and lower into a warm sort of darkness.

Suddenly, his eyes popped open. His vision adjusted for a moment, confusion clearing in his mind. "Huh?" He exclaimed. The curtains were pulled back, and a figure stood before him.

He bolted up immediately, pinning the person to the floor in five seconds flat. The Host Club crowded around him, and screams of surprise came from the gaggle of girls trailing at their heels. The twins managed to pull Honey off of the intruder, his legs still kicking in the air.

"Put me down! Put me down!" He demanded, his feet kicking as if he were pedalling on an invisible bicycle. He stared into Hikaru's hazel eyes, his brows furrowing in anger. Hikaru exchanged a mutual glance of disapproval at Kaoru, and looked back at Honey.

"It's not nice to hit girls, you know." Hikaru waggled his finger, setting Honey back on the marble floor.

"Wh-what?" Honey's chocolate eyes widened, and he looked down for the first time at the trespasser.

His heartbeat stopped, then filled with guilt. He had actually hit a girl.

This girl had long buttery blond hair with bangs that hung in her violet eyes. She was picking herself up off the ground, and dusting off her yellow Ouran uniform dress. Her face was full of kindness, and she had a small closed-mouth smile that made Honey feel dizzy. She was the most beautiful girl Honey had ever seen in his life.

"I ... I ..." Honey stuttered, his face growing bright red. Unable to finish his sentence, he bolted out of the room as fast as he could.


End file.
